Anasazi Fields Winery - Placitas, NM 5 of 44

Iron sign: Anasazi Fields

I love this winery. I love it becuase 1.) it's not pretentious, 2.) all the wines are made from fruit besides grapes and 3.) Jim Fish, the owner, is a delight! Besides being a wine maker, he's a poet. You can purchase his published book of poetry at the winery. Jim was more than willing to spend time with us telling us how each wine is made and where he gets the fruit. From the moment you drive onto the property you get the feeling that this winery is different. Different in a good way; a way that makes you feel comfortable.

Anasazi Fields Winery is in Placitas, New Mexico which is about 25 miles North of Albuquerque and tucked back in the Sandia mountains where it's quiet and peaceful. Almost all the fruit used to make the wines is grown in Placitas. To find out why I say "almost" you'll have to keep reading.

I know what you're thinking....because I was thinking the same thing....fruit wine must be sweet. Not true. From the Peach to the Apple to the Raspberry to the Wild Cherry (and I could go on), these wines are dry, tart, refreshing and such a surprise to the palate.

William, Abel, Jim, Karen and Dan

My favorite, and the one that came home with me, is the Rojo Seco. This is a blend of two wines, a 2008 Syrah and a 2006 Wild Cherry. It has a beautiful rich color and is dry and flavorful with hints of cinnamon. Jim said this wine would go great with game and dark chocolate. Or, if you're like me and the last time you actually had "game" was never, would go perfect with grilled steak or salmon.

My second favorite is the 2010 Wild Cherry. This wine has flavors of black cherry and cinnamon. While to me not as robust as the Rojo Seco, it has a wonderfully smooth finish.

The most surprising wine, and the only one made from fruit not grown in New Mexico (good, you kept reading), is the American Cranberry. This wine is made from pure fruit, not blended, and has a dry fruity (cranberry) taste. Surprisingly, this wine isn't syrupy, as I thought it might be. Jim said this wine sells best at Thanksgiving time. Hum? I'll swap out the cranberry sauce for the cranberry wine anytime.

Trivia: You'll notice that Anasazi wines have petroglyphs on their labels. The renderings were photographed from ancient drawings Jim found in the Placitas wilderness.

Artwork abounds.

If you go: Check their event schedule because they have events almost every weekend. From poetry readings to live music and art shows, there's alwasys something happening.